On Sunday at 5:20pm the final Douglas Corporation Horse Tram of 2014 departed from Derby Castle carrying its passengers and 300 special postmark covers produced by the Post Office to commemorate its final return journey of the season until spring 2016 when it reopens following promenade works.
This stunning commemorative cover postmarked September 14th 2014 features a stamp from the centenary of the horse trams in 1976 with an image of tram number 44 - which was out on the track this Sunday, and the toast rack stamp from 1990. This in addition to a brief history about the trams along with the signature of Peter Cannon, Tramways Operations Supervisor confirming the transportation of the 300 covers priced at £15 each, with a donation from each sale going to the Home for Old Horses on Richmond Hill.
The event attracted crowds of people who waited patiently for their trip along the promenade, many reminiscing about previous journeys they had taken in the heyday of summers when the trams were full from morning to night. It was a very emotional departure with trammer "Mark" completing the journey.
Maxine Cannon, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins General Manager said: "For the last 138 years the horse trams here in Douglas have sailed along their tracks to and from the Sea Terminal and Derby Castle; however following this year's final return journey they will now sadly be closed temporarily until 2016 whilst planned promenade works are carried out including the trams relocation. The trams remain a popular tourist attraction and have an important historic value today being the oldest surviving in Britain; we are therefore pleased to mark the end of this year's summer season with our postmarked limited to 300 covers and look forward to their reopening."
The collector's special postmark cover is available to purchase at our Regent Street branch in Douglas or by calling the Stamps and Coins team on 01624 698430.
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Isle of Man Stamps & Coins, PO Box IOM, Isle of Man Post Office, Douglas, ISLE OF MAN, IM99 1PB
